Autoharp



BEST AVAILABLE COP.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. E. EOKERT.

AUTOHARP.

No. 604,914. Patented May 31,1898.

DHiigesses f BEST A\/A\LABLE GOP (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' J. E. EGKERT.

AUTOHARP. No. 604,914. Patented May 31,1898.

(72/605 Z Z a/7567i BEST AVAlLABLE COP.

PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB E. ECKERT, OF MARENGO, IOWA.

AUTOHARP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,914, dated May 31,1898. Application filed January 18,1897. Serial No. 619,658. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB E. ECKERT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Maren go, in the county of Iowa and State of Iowa, haveinvented a new and useful Autoharp,of which the following is aspecification.

Myinvention relates to autoharps, and has for its object'to providemeans for securing in this class of musical instruments increasedresonance, to provide an improved construction of damper-bars wherebyincreased certainty of operation is secured, and to provide simple andeflicient means for changing the positions of the damper-bars withrelation to the strings to vary the key of the chords formed by the openstrings when the dam perbars are manipulated.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In thedrawings, Figure l is a perspective view of an autoharp'constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsection. Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective of one of thedamper-bars.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates a sounding-board or body of the instrument, provided withbridges 2 and 3, from which extend the strings 4,said strings beingattached at one end to pins 4: and at the other end to adjustabletuning-pegs 5.

Mounted for transverse movement in suitable guides supported by thesounding-board is a damper-frame 6, having terminal bars 7, providedwith bearings for the spindles 8 of the damper-bars 9, said spindles atone end being split or notched to engage the extremities ofreturn-springs 10. The damper-bars are of cross-sectionally angular or Vshape, with upper wings 9 and lower wings 9", the latter being providedwith clothing or pads 11, adapted to be brought into contact with thestrings to stop the latter. The strings left open when a damper-bar isoperated are adapted to form a musical chord, and by the use of aplurality of damper-bars a series of chords in any given key may besounded without picking particular strings and without sounding thosewhich do not properly occur in the chord desired. \Vhen the keys 12,with which the upper wings of the damper-bars are provided, aredepressed, the lower or Opera tive wings thereofoccupyapproximatelyvertical positions. The keys are preferably arrangedin an inclined or diagonal series, whereby the damper-bars may bearranged in close relation and whereby the position of the hand of theoperator may be natural and comfortable. A stationary pointer orindicator 13 is arranged upon one of the supportingstandards or guidesin operative relation with a scale 14, consisting of lettersrepresenting diiferent keys or scales, and when it is desired to playina given key the sliding frame should be moved to bring the letterrepresenting that key under the pointer or indicator. In theconstruction illustrated seven damper-bars are employed, and by theadjustment of th frame the chords represented by said damper bars maybesounded in either of the keys irdicated by the scale.

Any suitable means may be employed for securing the frame at the desiredadjustment, the means shown in the drawings consisting of a padded rack15, in engagement with which is arranged a pin 16 on a holding-spring17, an antifriction roller 18 being preferably mounted upon said pin.

In connection with the construction above described I preferably employa-key consistin g of a chromatic scale arranged upon a stafi intersectedby lines corresponding an parallel with the strings of the instrumersaid lines being designated by numerals representing the damper-bars tobe operated in order to produce the note arranged at the intersection ofthe staff and string lines.

The advantage of the peculiar construction of damper-bars abovedescribed resides in the fact that being mounted for rocking movementtheir padded wings are brought th roughout their lengths into operativerelation with the strings without the yielding to which re ciprocabledamper-bars are liable, and, fur thermore, the above described manner ofmounting the damper-bars in place enables them to be operated from anydesired point of their lengths.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be BEST AVAlLABLE COPv V resorted to without departingfrom the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In an antoharp, thecombination with the strings, of rocking damper-bars ofeross-sectionally angular or V shape having padded lower wings andangularly-disposed upper wings bearing keys, and return-springsconnected respectively with the bars, substantially as specified.

2. In an autoharp, the combination with a body and strings, andstationary guides on the body, of a damper-frame mounted in said guidesfor sliding movement, and held from vertical movement, and providedparallel with its length with a rack consisting of a series of shallowrounded depressions fitted with padding or clothing, a fixedholding-spring provided at its free end with a pin fitted with anantifriction roll for permanently engaging the rack, and adapted to slipfrom one depression to another thereof when longitudinal pressure isapplied to the damper-frame, without manipulation of saidholding-spring, and also adapted to hold the frame from aedentalmovement, and damper-bars mounted upon the dam per-frame and yieldinglyheld out of contact with the strings, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JACOB E. ECKERT.

Witnesses:

C. E. VANCE, H. E. OLDAKER.

